Aquarium structural unit



July 2, 1963 F. M. sToUT AQUARIUM STRUCTURAL UNIT 2 sheets-snet 1 FiledJuly 2l. 1961 July 2, 1963 F. M. s'rouT AQUARIUM STRUCTURAL UNIT 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 2l, 1961 INVENTORI- FPA/VK M. 570W UnitedStates Patent O 3,095,853 AQUARIUM STRUCTURAL UNIT I n Frank M. Stout,384 St. Francis Blvd., Daly City, Calif. Filed July 21, 1961, Ser. No.125,338 7 Claims. (Cl. 119-5) This invention relates in general toaquariums and more particularly to improved aquariums which may, 1fdesired, be assembled in a `home workshop.

Wood is generally regarded as a desirable material from which to fashionaquariums since the finished product may Ibest be harmonized with thefurniture in the room where the aquarium is to be placed. However,because wood is relatively porous and warps after prolonged contact withwater, metal frameworks have been used almost universally. This isparticularly true in the case of the assemble-it-yourself type aquariumsfor amateurs have difficulty in obtaining a proper seal -between theframework members and the transparent panels.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an aquarium whichm-ay be constructed utilizing wood and transparent panels.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an aquarium whichmay be supplied in knocked-down form and assembled at the site of use.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an aquarium frameworkso constructed that the mastic or putty used to seal the transparentpanels and framework cannot be squeezed out of place and the sealdestroyed.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an aquarium having ahood or reflector which serves to discourage evaporation of the waterfrom the tank and which prevents contact of moisture condensed on theinner surface of the hood with the upper edges of the tank.

Generally, this invention comprises `an aquarium which may beconstructed of wood yand which is provided with a land and groovestructure in the horizontal and vertical support members such that waterpressure against the transparent panel members is not transmitted to themastic used to seal the panels in place, but rather is transmitted tolands, permitting the mastic to 'be retained in place without difculty.Further, because, in plan view, the covers utilized in the yaquariums ofthis invention 'are smaller than their respective tanks, condensationfrom the interior of the covers is not permitted to contact theuppermost edges of the tanks.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form of the aquarium of thisinvention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view o-f the upperportion of the aquarium of FIGURE l showing the manner yof hood removal;

FIGURE .3 is an enlarged fragmentary ysectional view of one corner ofthe aquarium of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the hood of FIG- URE l taken from theopposite side shown in FIGURE 1 and Showing yan alternative rmethod for`supporting the hood;

FIGURES 5-7 are enlarged sectional views showing alternative means ofproviding the necessary seal between the transparent panels and thecorner posts;

FIGURE 8 shows the aquarium of this invention in a cylindricalembodiment;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of one of theupright supports utilized in the structure of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE l0 is a plan view of a portion of the post and collar structureof the aquarium of FIGURE 8 also showing the manner in which thetransparent walls are sealed in place.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like referencenumerals indicate like partsy in the several views, the preferredembodiment of the yaquarium which is the subject of this invention isindicated generally at 10. The tank portion of the aquarium has fourcorner posts 11, two bottom side rails 12, two top side rails 13, twobottom end rails 14 and two top end rails =15. The rails and posts mayibe cut to size from wood .molding of standard stock. rIhe rails `areall halflap jointed at both ends to provide a convenient and reliablemeans for joining rails and posts at each aquarium corner, as shown inFIGURES l, 2, tand 3. In laddition, the bottom sides of the two bottomside rails 12 Iare horizontally notched or half-lap jointedappro-ximately at the center of each rail to receive the correspondinghalf-lap joints of a cross-support member 16. A cover for the tank orhood portion is shown generally at 17, and is constructed of a frontsection 18, two side sections 19 and a back section 20.

The side sections 19 are provided with electric inlet holes 24 and aplu-rality of bores 25 for receiving and holding supporting dowels 26which extend outward from the end sections 19. The `dowels rest on topend rails 15.

Alternative means, such as chains 27 and brackets 27, may be used tosupport the hood above the top rails; ysee FIGURE 4. The back section 20of hood 17 may have several notched and cutout portions which may beused to accommodate various aquarium accessories such as a heating unit,pump, etc. It is desirable that the rear top nail have its top surfaceout to accommodate such accessories, as seen in FIGURE 2.

Two end panes 29, two side panes 30 and a bottom 31, all preferably ofglass, are provided. Alternative transparent material-s, such as certaintypes of plastics, may be used, ias may an opaque bottom.

The interior lsides of the rails and posts are all notched or channeled,as shown at 33 and 34 (FIGURE 3 and FIGURES 5-7) so as to provide landportions 35 and 36 in the posts Iand rails respectively.

FIGURES 8, 9, and 10 show a somewhat different embodiment of theinvention wherein two ysemi-cylindrical glass walls 40 are held togetherby a collar 42. The collar is conveniently prepared from arcuatesections of laminated stock in such manner that the inner edge `of theuppermost lamination 44 is yspaced radially from that 46 immediatelytherebelow so that a notch 48 land land portion 49 are provided abovelowermost lamination 50. Each upright :support beam 52. (only one of twois shown in FIGURE 8) is notched at the topm-ost portion thereof and theremaining upstanding'portion registers with a notch in the collar 42, asshown in FIGURE 9. Post S2 is also notched longitudinally :at eithercorner, designated 54, to provide a land portion 56 which, as seen inFIGURE 10 is placed directly against the point of juncture of thesemi-cylindrical glass elements. The notched areas 54 and 33 are alllled with mastic, as is the space between confronting plate edges; seeFIGURES 6, 7 and 10.

A second collar 57 is provided at the base thereof for the purposes ofsecuring together the base of the cylindrical tank and the side wallsthereof. If desired, a single cylinder (preferably of glass or clearplastic) may be used in which case the upper collar -42 may not benecessary. In any case the lowermost collar 57 is required.Conveniently, it includes `a pair of upper laminations (corresponding tolaminations 44 and 47 of coliar 4t2) and a lowermost lamination 58 whichis `sufficiently wider than the others to -support base 59. Essentialare grooves or notches on either side of the line of juncture of thebase and walls lands being provided adjacent said line of juncture. Thisarrangement insures that a proper seal of bottom and walls is obtainedwithout the sealing compound being forced out of the grooves or notchesas the lands'so formed resist the pressure of the water within the tank,and no substantial pressure is exerted directly on the sealer.

The cylindrical aquarium is also provided with a transparent dome '60which is conveniently suspended .as shown ,in FIGURE 8. Once again, ahorizontal space is provided between the lower lip of the cover and theupper edge of the tank so that condensation will drain directly into thetank and not contact the upper edge thereof.

The assembly of the aquarium may be accomplished in the followingmanner: one top end rail .and one top side rail 13 are joined at thehalf-lap joints by applying glue and pressure means to form a rightangle. The same process is repeated with the other top end and siderails; then the two port-ions are joined together so as to form acomplete top frame. A similar process is then followed with the bottomend rails 14 and bottom side rails 12 so as to form a complete bottomframe. The crosspiece 16 is then positioned in the half-lap joints ofthe bottom side rails and glue and pressure applied, as described above.

The posts 11 are then positioned in the bottom frame, one in eachcorner, glue and pressure applied. To give stability to the frameworksmall nails may be inserted horizontally through the posts into the endsof the rails. The top frame is then placed upon the upright posts andthe same procedure followed as described above.

The hood portion of the rectangular ltank is assembled as follows: thetwo side or end pieces 19' are glued along the edge opposite thehypotenuse. The back portion 20 is then placed thereon and squared"along the edges. The short side -of the side pieces is then glued andthefront section 18 placed thereon and squared so that it covers boththe glued edges of .the side pieces and the uppermost horizontal edge ofthe back piece. For added stability small nails may then be insertedthrough the back and front sections and into the glued edges of the sidesection. The dowels are then inserted into the holes 25.

lIt is recommended that the inside of the hood section 17 be coated witha protective coating, such as a resin, so as Vto provide waterproolingprotection for the wood.

The final step in the assembly of a complete aquarium unit is theglazing (a term used generally for setting glass into a framework). Theaquarium frame is placed on any side and an appropriate mastic or puttyused, preferably a rubber base compound, e.g. the material Elaskanf Themastic is applied to the inside shoulder of the lands and 36 of theposts and rails, respectively, in suliicient thickness to lill thechanneled portions 33 and 34 which become reservoirs or compartmentsbetween the rails or posts and the glass panes. A pane is then placed inposition so that it is seated upon the landportion `of one side andflush against the land portion of the opposite corner side, asbest shownin FIGURE 3. As shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 mastic or putty may be placedbetween the confronting pane edges or surfaces. This process is repeatedwith the opposite sidepane, the two end panes, and the bottom pane. Itshould be noted that as each pane'is put into position, slight surfacepressure should be evenly applied to insure that it is firmly seatedagainst the appropriate land. After the bottom pane is positioned, andexcess Vmastic removed, the aquarium is completed vand ready for use.

In somewhat similar fashion the cylindrical tank is assembled from thewallelernent or elements 40, the segmented collar 57 and possibly 42.and the dome 60. lf the upright posts 52 and two semi-cylindrical wallelements are used, the notched areas 48 and 5'4 are iilled with masticwhich contacts wall elements on either side of the line ofV juncturethereof. Thus, a tight sealV is provided without pressure being exertedon theV mastic itself. Rather, the lands bear `the Weight of thetransparent panels and resist the pressure exerted by the water withinthe tank so that the mastic is not squeezed out of place.

Note that both of the covers or dome structures 17 and 60 are providedwith Slots 6 2 near the tops thereof. This is important as the heatingeffect contributed by the lights Within the hood members results inconvection currents of air which air is allowed to exit through the topsof the covers. Fresh a-ir is admitted through the .air moat between theupper-most edge surface of each tank and the lower-most edge of eachhood and passes out through the slots 62. (The bulb for hood 60 is notshown but is located directly beneath the point of attachment of thesuspension `cord-electrical conductor.)v These thermal currents resultin constant contact of fresh air with the surface of the water withinthe tanks. lIt is well recognized that it is the contact of fresh airwith the water surface which vresult-s in the incorporation ofadditional oxygen in the water. TheY conventional bubblers areinadequate means of introducing oxygen intov water to the extent thatbubbles tend to rise from the bottoms of tanks with little of the oxygenbeing dissolved, the major portion of such dissolution taking place onlyat the upper Water-air interface. The structure described abovepermitting circulation of air beneath the hoods and out through theslots 62 provides means for aerating water which is closely akin to thenatural aeration procedures taking place at the surface of naturallyoccurring bodies of water.

The relatively small size of each cover, the shape thereof and themethod shown for suspending the cover member 17 or "60 insures thatVcondensation forming on the innervsurface of the cover members passesdirectly from the cover lip down into the aquarium water withoutcontacting the topmost edges of the aquarium tank structure. Thisobviates the bacteria growth problem usually encountered where a coverrests directly on the tank lip and also keeps the moisture in the tank,where it belongs. irrespective of the method used to suspend `the domeor cover member, Vthe essential feature is the provision of spacebetween the uppermost edge of the .aquarium tank proper and lowermostlip of the cover member.

Obviously, many modications and variations may be made Without departingfrom the spirit and scope of this invention, and therefore only suchlimitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In an aquarium:

(a) a tank structure having generally upright sides and a bottom wherebyto form an enclosure for holding water, said upright sides terminatingin upper edges;

V(IJ) a cover supported thereover in close proximity to said tank, saidcover having edges substantially conforming to the figure defined bysaid upper edges of said sides, `an` edge of said cover being spacedinwardly from the corresponding tank side edge, the space so formedconstituting a first Ventilating air passageway, said cover furtherincluding a single second Ventilating passageway therethrough spaced asubstantial distance from the aforementioned first Ventilatingpassageway.

2. In an aquarium:

(a) a .tank structure of a generally rectangular configuration havingfour upright sides Iand a bottom whereby to form an enclosure forholding Water, said upright sides terminating in upper edges;

(b) a cover having projecting supports extending therefrom, saidsupports resting upon the said upper edges of the said tank sides, saidcover being supported in close proximity to said tank, the cover edgessubstantially conforming to the figure defined by said edges of saidsides, at least two edges of the said cover being spaced inwardly fromthe corresponding tank side edges, the spaces so for-med constitutingVentilating passageways, said cover further including at least a singleadditional Ventilating passageway therethrough spaced to substantialdistance from the rst mentioned Ventilating passageways.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the cover is generally triangular incross section.

4. In an aquarium:

(a) -a -tank structure having four generally rectangular upright sidesand a bottom whereby to form an enclosure for holding water, saidupright sides terminating in upper edges;

(b) a cover supported Ithereover, said cover being suspended from meansanchored above the said cover whereby to support the said cover in closeproximity to said tank, .the said cover having `edges substantiallyconforming to the gure defined by said upper edges of said sides, atleast a pair of edges of said cover being spaced inwardly from thecorresponding tank side edges, the spaces so formed constitutingventilating air passageways, the said cover further including at least:a single additional Ventilating passageway therethrough spaced asubstantial distance from the rst mentioned Ventilating passageways.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein the said cover is generallytriangular in cross section.

6. ln an aquarium:

(a) a tank structure having `generally upright sides and a bottomwhereby to form an enclosure for holding water, said upright sidesconstituting a continuous cylindrical chamber terminating in upperedges;

(b) a cover supported thereover in close proximity to said tank, thesaid cover having edges substantially conforming to the gure defined bythe said edges of the said sides, the said edges of the said cover beingspaced inward-ly from the corresponding tank side upper edges, the spaceso formed constituting a ven- -titlating `air passageway, said coverfurther including at least a single second Ventilating passagewaytherethrough spaced a substantial distance from the aforementioned rstVentilating passageway.

7. The structure of claim 6 wherein the cover is concave -on the sidethereof:` facing the interior of the tank structure and wherein anincandescent light bulb is positioned on the underside of the said coverto provide `means for creating thermal currents within the said tank,said incandescent light bulb having a receptacle therefor secured to thesaid cover, said receptacle having fa power line having an end thereofsecured above the said tank whereby to provide means -for suspending thesaid cover above the said tank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,002,380 Wernicke et al. May 21, 1935 2,776,642 Sepersky Ian. 8, 19572,787,981 Landesberg Apr. 9, 1957 2,792,811 Di Chiaro May 2,1, 19573,018,758 Arnould Jan. 30, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 662,842 Germany July 22,1938 489,736 Great Britain Aug. 3, 1938 OTHER REFERENCES Popular ScienceMagazine, January 1945, page 178.

1. IN AN AQUARIUM: (A) A TANK STRUCTURE HAVING GENERALLY UPRIGHT SIDESAND A BOTTOM WHEREBY TO FORM AN ENCLOSURE FOR HOLDING WATER, SAIDUPRIGHT SIDES TERMINATING IN UPPPER EDGES; (B) A COVER SUPPORTEDTHEREOVER IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SAID TANK, SAID COVER HAVING EDGESSUBSTANTIALLY CONFORMING TO THE FIGURE DEFINED BY SAID UPPER EDGES OFSAID SIDES, AN EDGE OF SAID COVER BEING SPACED INWARDLY FROM THECORRESPONDING TANK SIDE EDGE, THE SPACE SO FORMED CONSTITUTING A FIRSTVENTILATING AIR PASSAGEWAY, SAID COVER FURTHER INCLUDING A SINGLE SECONDVENTILATING PASSAGEWAY THERETHROUGH SPACED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE FROMTHE AFOREMENTIONED FIRST VENTILATING PASSAGEWAY.